25%

Percentage of income that poor smokers in New York State spend on cigarettes, according to a new study. Smokers who earn less than $30,000 a year pay 39% percent of New York’s state and city cigarette tax revenue. In contrast, wealthier smokers earning $60,000 or more a year spend 2% of their income on cigarettes. “The poor pay $600 million in cigarette taxes and get little help in quitting,” said Russ Sciandra of the American Cancer Society, noting that more of the state’s cigarette tax revenue should be used to fund quit-smoking programs. [via The Associated Press]